Recent high-resolution and sensitivity ALMA observations have unveiled the carbon isotope ratios (12C/13C) of Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) in a low-mass protostellar source.
complex organic molecules
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Chemical Modeling Of Aminoketene, Ethanolamine, And Glycine Production In Interstellar Ices
Icy interstellar dust grains are a source of complex organic molecule (COM) production, although their formation mechanisms are debated.
![The left panel shows a zoom of the GA and ethanol emission maps toward B0, B1 and B2 respectively, integrated over the velocity range [−10, 5] km s−1](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Glycolaldehyde-And-Ethanol-Toward.png?resize=1200%2C707&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Glycolaldehyde And Ethanol Toward The L1157 Outflow: Resolved Images And Constraints On Glycolaldehyde Formation
Two main formation routes have been proposed for interstellar complex organic molecules (iCOMs): on dust grain surfaces and in the gas phase. Observing such molecules in protostellar outflow shock regions […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Interstellar, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Building Blocks Of Life Located In Ice Around A Forming Star In A Neighboring Galaxy
In a discovery that could reshape our understanding of how the chemical ingredients for life spread throughout the cosmos, astronomers detected organic molecules with more than six atoms frozen in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
The Evolution Of Complex Organic Molecules During Star Formation
Complex organic molecules (COMs) are thought to be the precursors of pre-biotic molecules and are observed in many protostellar sources.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Nascent Chemical Complexity In Prestellar Core IRAS 16293E: Complex Organics And Deuterated Methanol
Prestellar cores represent early sites of low-mass (M ≤ few M⊙) star and planet formation and provide insight into initial chemical conditions of complex organic molecules (COMs).
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Interstellar, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
The Evolution Of Life May Have Its Origins In Outer Space
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a team of astronomers led by Abubakar Fadul from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) has discovered complex organic molecules – including […]
![Visual extinction maps of the observed regions. Contours in the Barnard 1b map (left) correspond to [7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70] mag levels. The contours in the IC 348 map (right) correspond to [6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24] mag levels. These maps were obtained from the τ850 optical depth maps in Zari et al. (2016) applying the K-band to V-band extinction ratio of ∼ 1/16 (Nishiyama et al. 2008). The crosses mark the pointings from where data was taken. Selected spectra of CH3OH lines at 90 GHz (Table 2) and H2S 11,0 → 10,1 line observed at different offsets are included in the maps. -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Fine-tuning-The-Complex.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Fine-tuning The Complex Organic Molecule Formation: Sulfur And CO Ice As Regulators Of Surface Chemistry
Grain-surface chemistry plays a crucial role in the formation of molecules of astrobiological interest, including H2S and complex organic molecules (COMs).
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Formation of Complex Organic Molecules in Prestellar Cores: The Role of Non-Diffusive Grain Chemistry
We present the results of astrochemical modeling of complex organic molecules (COMs) in the ice and gas of the prestellar core L1544 with the recently updated MONACO rate equations-based model.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Status Report
Ice Sublimation In The Dynamic HD 100453 Disk Reveals A Rich Reservoir Of Inherited Complex Organics
Protoplanetary disks around luminous young A-type stars are prime observational laboratories to determine the abundances of complex organic molecules (COMs) present during planet formation.